On Saturday, less than a mile from where Woody Guthrie once lived, a crowd gathered at El Centro del Pueblo in Echo Park to celebrate what would have been the troubadour’s 100^th birthday.

The day-long event featured local bluegrass, folk, blues, jazz, and hip-hop performers and was presented by the Trailer Trash Project, which operates out of a vintage trailer to bring free concerts, plays, and exhibits to neighborhoods around Los Angeles.

Guthrie’s musical legacy extends well beyond This Land Is Your Land. His more than 3,000 songs include The Ballad of Tom Joad, inspired by John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath.” When Steinbeck heard the song, he wrote to Guthrie, saying, “You’re a real bastard. What it took me an entire novel to do, you wrote in one song.”

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LOCALS CELEBRATNG WOODY’S BIRTHDAY

Blues guitarist S.S. Jones, co-founder of the Skid Row Musicians Network.	Guitarist, songwriter andauthor Darryl Holter.
Singer-songwriter, guitarist Walter Spencer.	Unknown banjo player.